Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has raised serious concerns in the Senate over a rice importation deal that he believes could hurt local farmers.
Speaking on July 9, Omtatah demanded answers from the Standing Committee on Tourism, Trade, and Industrialisation regarding a large quota granted to a well-known mall located in Eastleigh, Nairobi County.
According to him, the government allowed the mall to import 500,000 metric tonnes of rice, which he says sends the wrong message to local rice growers who are already struggling with poor market access and low prices.
The senator questioned how such a massive allocation could be given to just one private entity without any public explanation.
Omtatah told the Senate that the whole arrangement appears to lack transparency and may not have followed the proper legal steps.
He claimed that government institutions tasked with regulating food crop imports, including the Agriculture and Food Authority, were bypassed in the decision-making process.
He wants the Senate committee to clearly explain how the decision was made, which policy was used, and whether it followed competitive procedures.
Omtatah also wants to know why the Ministry of Agriculture and AFA were left out, yet rice production and importation fall directly under their responsibility as stated in the Crops Act.
In his statement, the senator asked the Agriculture and Food Authority to carry out a complete assessment of the current domestic rice production versus consumption, to find out if there was truly a shortage in the country that justified such a large import.
He is worried that the rice quota may have been given out without considering whether Kenya really needs that much rice from outside, especially at a time when rice from local farmers has gone unsold.
He pointed out that more than 5,000 tonnes of rice were recently left uncollected at the Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Cooperative Society.
Omtatah urged the committee to look into the possible impact of the rice imports on local rice farmers and explain what protective measures have been put in place to shield them from losses. He also raised concern about the effect of these imports on rice prices, suggesting that local consumers could end up paying more if the situation is not handled properly.
The senator pressed the committee to clarify how they plan to inform and protect the public from any price shocks. His concerns come just weeks after the government announced plans to cut rice imports in half to support local production.
Now, with the approval of such a huge quota to a private mall, Omtatah and many others are left wondering whether the government is walking back on its promise to promote local farming.
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